Some of you may know that we have had an anxious wait for the results of little big dog's visit to the Cardiologist. We suspected that his heart murmur was aortic stenosis, based on Dr B's experience of the human heart, but until Themba had a couple of episodes of syncope (fainting) this Spring, we had no idea if this was serious or not.
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| Our very own 'droopy dawg' |
Last week, Themba underwent a series of tests to determine the cause of his collapse. First, he had an ECG, then an echocardiogram, and lastly a 24hr Holter monitor. He is a most good-natured dog and took it all in his stride. The ECG didn't show anything alarming but the echocardiogram (a bit like an ultrasound) showed that his heart is impaired and that he has severe aortic stenosis (a narrowing of the main artery as it leaves the heart, filled with fresh oxygenated blood for the body). He is not (yet) in heart failure.
The canine cardiologist (like a GP with specialist interest) wanted to rule out something awful called ARVC (Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy); in humans the most common cause of unexpected sudden death in the young. She checked his pedigree and we were relieved to see that his line does not carry the gene for ARVC. The 24hr Holter monitor showed no arrhythmia's and we are reassured, but the prognosis is still poor.
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Themba with Holter monitor (under his T-shirt) and
Brin showing solidarity in a T-shirt of his own! |
He is now taking beta blockers, to slow down his heart activity, but it is not a treatment; it is simply a means of protecting his welfare and making sure that he has a good quality of life. The vet has warned us that he will continue to decline. Many dogs with this diagnosis have a median survival of just 19 weeks following diagnosis. This is horrific for us to contemplate. We plan to repeat the echocardiogram in mid-July to better understand the rate of decline in his heart function.
The really frightening aspect of this condition is that whilst we can control (much) of the mad Boxer bouncy activity, he is just as likely to collapse while chasing the neighbour's gardener as jumping up for the doorbell. And we feel we shouldn't restrict his activity, he should be free to have as much fun as possible. In fact, he seems to be coping very well with his dodgy ticker, probably because we have kept him lean and fit. He is still going for his jog in the morning, a little slower these days, and our lovely evening walks. He still enjoys playing ball, but rests a bit in between each throw. The heat of May was clearly a factor in his severe collapse, but I hope that we can have a period of stability and happiness.
In other news, the puncture wound on my finger is healing well, although I still have a haematoma under my nail, which we are rather dramatically referring to as the crush injury. The side-effects of the antibiotics and Tetanus injection have eased. I have had this reply from the A&E Matron:
'Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I have spoken to both staff involved and it would appear that there was a miss-communication between the receptionist and the Senior Nurse that she spoke to. The receptionist implied to the nurse that you were enquiring about Rabies injection, to which she quite rightly advised that if bitten by a dog in this country there should not be the need for a rabies injection but that we should contact the Health Protection Agency for advice if you had been bitten outside the UK.
I would like to apologise for the inconvenience that this caused you and re-assure you that the clinical staff are trained and up to date with such matters.
I have relayed to the receptionist concerned that she should have booked you in to the department and allowed you to be triaged by the nurse rather than getting involved in clinical questioning.'
So, that's the waiting over, now to get on with having some fun. We're getting away to the New Forest in the next few weeks, to a lovely dog-friendly hotel, and can't wait to tell you all about it.
Themba has been up early in recent days; he was preparing for the Summer Solstice. On the day, however, it dawned overcast and cool, so he slept in. No fooling him then. And in a moment of spontaneity we decided to celebrate Summer, and twenty years of wedded bliss, with a weekend away in the New Forest, with the Boxers! 
Saturday dawned bright and dry and we were up for a walk. The full story and pictures here, suffice it to say, the 'boys' enjoyed the mud, being with humans and lunch in the pub!
